技术不确定性下算法推荐新闻的伦理风险及其法律规制

Ethical risk and legal regulation of algorithm recommendation news from the perspective of technological uncertainty

大数据、人工智能、算法推荐技术等信息技术的快速迭代,推动了传统社会的数字化转型,传统新闻业同样在开展数字化转型升级。在此背景下,随着新闻信息过载的不断加剧,由大数据衍生出的算法推荐新闻迅速崛起,算法信任、数据优势与新闻媒介的数字化客观上为算法推荐新闻的应用和发展奠定了基础。毋庸置疑,算法推荐新闻对于实现新闻准确分发、增强新闻受众黏性具有重要意义,智慧化、瞬时性的算法推荐新闻具有精准、高效、个性化优势,但同时算法作为一种复杂性、不确定性技术,带来了多层面、多环节、多领域的风险挑战和制度掣肘,算法推荐新闻同样引发了“算法黑箱”“算法偏差”“技术霸权”“责任缺口”与“信息泄露”等多种伦理风险。当前,学界对于算法推荐技术本身是否真的成熟,以及算法推荐新闻可能引发的伦理危机研判明显不足。对此,从技术不确定性理论所内嵌的技术本身不确定性、技术认知不确定性与技术制度不确定性三个向度,可以为算法推荐新闻的伦理风险提供适当的分析框架,在此基础上厘清算法推荐新闻伦理风险发生的根源,可将其归纳为技术本身不确定性向度的数学洗脑与主体性缺失、技术认知不确定性向度的能力不足与底线失守以及技术制度不确定性向度的法律规范与伦理体系的不完善。具言之,算法推荐新闻作为一种新兴技术,已有伦理形态与法律规范逐渐无法有效规制其伦理风险,亟需建构专业化、制度化的算法推荐新闻伦理风险规制体系。算法推荐新闻伦理风险的法律规制应当奉行何种原则是规制路径建构的前提性、方向性议题,分析认为技术不确定性下算法推荐新闻伦理风险的法律规制需坚持新闻透明原则、价值中立原则和德法共治原则。当然,随着算法推荐技术、云计算等新兴技术的不断进化,新闻透明原则亦需与时俱进,对算法推荐新闻的新兴伦理风险予以有效规制,新闻从业者、算法推荐新闻分发平台等要坚持以价值中立原则为指导,强化算法推荐新闻中“人”的主体性地位,并在德法共治原则指导下明确算法推荐新闻伦理风险的法律规制范式。从以上原则出发,算法推荐新闻伦理风险的法律规制,应当针对不同类型的伦理风险进行有针对性的制度建构,即在技术本身不确定性向度加强算法公开与算法解释权、数据权利等保障,在技术认知不确定性向度推动新闻从业者计算思维的培养及伦理约束,在技术制度不确定性向度采取伦理结构化与法律问责等规制对策。

The rapid iteration of information technology,such as big data,artificial intelligence and algorithm recommendation technology,has promoted the digital transformation of traditional society,and traditional journalism is also carrying out digital transformation and upgrading.In this context,as the overload of news information continues to intensify,algorithm recommendation news derived from big data has risen rapidly.Algorithm trust,data dominance,and the digitization of news media objectively lay the foundation for the application and development of algorithm recommendation news.Undoubtedly,algorithm recommendation news is of great significance for realizing the accurate distribution of news and enhancing the stickiness of news audiences.Intelligent,instantaneous algorithm recommendation news has the advantages of accuracy,efficiency,and individualization,but at the same time,as a complex and uncertain technology,algorithm brings multi-level,multi-link,multi-field risk challenges and institutional constraints.Algorithm recommendation news has also caused various ethical risks such as“algorithm black box”“algorithm deviation”“technical hegemony”“responsibility gap”and“information leakage”.At present,the academic circles are obviously insufficient in research and judgment on whether the algorithm recommendation technology itself is really mature,and on the ethical crisis that may be caused by algorithm recommendation news.In this regard,the three dimensions of the theory of technological uncertainty,including technological uncertainty,technological cognitive uncertainty,and technological institutional uncertainty,can provide an appropriate analysis framework for the ethical risks of algorithm recommendation news.From this framework,the root causes of the ethical risk of algorithm recommendation news can be clarified,which can be summarized as mathwashing and main body dispel in the dimension of technological uncertainty,the lack of ability and bottom line loss in the dimension of technological cognitive uncertainty,and the imperfection of legal norms and ethical system in the dimension of technological institutional uncertainty.Specifically,as an emerging technology,the existing ethical forms and legal norms are gradually unable to effectively regulate the ethical risk of algorithm recommendation news,and it is urgent to establish a professional and institutionalized regulatory system of ethical risk of algorithm recommendation news.What kind of principles should be followed in the legal regulation of ethical risk of algorithm recommendation news is the prerequisite and directional issue for the construction of the regulatory path.The analysis believes that the legal regulation of the ethical risk of algorithm recommendation news under technological uncertainty needs to adhere to the principle of news transparency,value neutrality,and rule of law with virtue.Of course,with the continuous evolution of algorithm recommendation technology,cloud computing and other emerging technologies,news transparency principle also need to keep pace with the times and effectively regulate the emerging ethical risks of algorithm recommendation news.News practitioners and algorithm recommended news distribution platforms must adhere to the principle of value neutrality to strengthen the subjectivity of“people”in algorithm recommendation news.And under the guidance of the principle of rule of law with virtue,the legal regulation paradigm of algorithm recommendation news ethical risk should be clarified.Proceeding from the above principles,the legal regulation of algorithm recommendation news ethical risks should target at different types of ethical risks,that is,to strengthen the protection of algorithm disclosure and algorithm interpretation rights,data rights,etc.,in the dimension of technological uncertainty,to promote the cultivation of computational thinking and ethical constraints of news practitioners in the dimension of technological cognition uncertainty,and to adopt regulatory measures such as ethical structuring and legal accountability in the dimension of technological institutional uncertainty.